Tag: cinematic

Let’s traverse the cosmos to check in on our oft-mentioned composer of all things ‘space’, the one and only Vangelis. Although marrying electronic music to space-oriented themes is fairly intuitive, Vangelis, who cornered the market on it, also happens to have a penchant for paying homage to specific space missions. This time around, that homage is Rosetta, the musical play-by-play of the eponymous ESA probe’s voyage to Churyumov–Gerasimenko [comet 67P]. From the origins of the comet to Rosetta’s decade-long journey, to its dramatic end-of-mission impact—and let’s not forget about our brave little lander Philae—Vangelis has more than enough fodder for some juicy composition, as do we for some juicy discussion! Oh and our topic, you ask? Totally unrelated… SPACE.

Today Matt welcomes Amy Leland, a writer, director, and video editor living in Brooklyn, NY. Having written and directed a short film called Echoes, Amy is currently working on a documentary about tap dancer and teacher Sarah Petronio. With Matt, Amy chats about how each project came to be and about her past experience both directing and video editing. They also talk about how she got started in the arts, her plans for the future, and what it’s like having a day job that both supports and informs her art, and the reciprocity of that lifestyle. And so, from inspiration to escapism, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Amy Leland.

Nearing our 3-yr. anniversary, the inkwell is far from dry — especially in the presence of cartoonists Ed Reynolds (of Fermented Zen) and Chuck Collins (of Bounce)! Shuffling up the format this week, we kick off the episode with an interview to explore the Zen/Bounce style and philosophy, and then (from 0:30:00 on) we dive straight into Ed & Chuck’s album of choice. Director John Carpenter, known for scoring most of his early films, has never released a studio album… that is, not until Lost Themes! Steeped in hazy imagery, Lost Themes is a fanciful excursion through your mind’s own creations. Join us for this in-depth analysis! Then, starting at 1:45:38, we begin a round table discussion on the use of music in cartoons. Ever since the golden age of American animation, have cartoons been less musical?

This week we’re diving back into movie soundtracks by reviewing the score to the latest summer blockbuster, Pacific Rim, composed by Ramin Djawadi. Then we go on to discuss the applications of soundtracks in certain films, especially those cases when music makes the difference between mediocrity and masterpiece.

This week we tackle our first video game soundtrack: the Halo 4 OST. Then we get into a discussion on originality in film & video game scores, and the importance of compelling themes and vivid imagery.